Everyday is 'take your dog to work day' here at HZ. We welcome furry friends of all sizes! So, we figured why not take advantage of our pet playground and find out who would perform best as HZ’s mascot. The jury is still out!

Ginger—Belongs to Doug

Beagle/Doxon mix

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

Ginger has a vision for the future and an unrelenting spirit, constantly striving to make things better. She begs for treats, sleeps under an HZ desk for hours on end and relieves herself in executive offices if only to change up the day and stir the collective pot of creative juices here on Molecular Drive. She's a lover not a fighter. She brings you flowers and sings love songs. Hello, it's her you're looking for.

Also, she wont bite when you make her wear HZ-branded t-shirts and other swag ;-)

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

She has wanderlust...that "module" she wears on her collar isn't some Orwellian anti-barking device (in fact, we'd love her to bark MORE)...it's a GPS locator because she was once missing for 2 weeks, roaming throughout Fairfax County and crossing every major road she could find like it was the championship match at an 80's Frogger convention.

Betty—Belongs to Alix

She might as well be the 5th mean girl—a sassy, little miss priss, in another life she would have been an acclaimed fashionista & designer. As it is, she loves stopping at Drybar, watching Ellen & the Food Network, and strutting around like the princess she thinks she is. You'll never see her without her tennis ball—we suspect she hits the courts when we're out at work—and yes boys, she's single, but she loves to play hard to get.

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

She's here enough, everyone loves her, and when it comes to Betty, much like HZ itself, only the best will do.

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

Betty was adopted and has a brother named Barney

Dennis "Cutty" Wise (after The Wire)—Belongs to Kelly

Nickname: Cutty. She was a rescue from Dogs XL our guess is she is a lab/hound mix. She loves to sniff & swim!

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

Cutty would be a great HZ mascot because she has an adorable puppy face and she is a rescue! #adoptdontshop More importantly she takes her job very seriously - she is a professional squirrel chaser, tail wagger, ball catcher and ultimate snuggle muffin! She has even taken a liking to interior design including the 10 throw pillows she's destroyed.... I am going assume she just doesn't appreciate my taste in upholstery ;)

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

Cutty loves to travel! She comes with us wherever we go that includes: Buffalo New York, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Ocean City, Maryland where she makes sure we spend lots of time playing on the beach catching some rays and chasing seagulls.

Tobie—Belongs to Jess

Maltese

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

He has an orange tank-top.

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

Um…he’s tougher than my German Shepard.

Luna—Belongs to Brigitte

She is a rescue, so we don't exactly know what her breed is. We think she might be a white shepherd and english setter mix though. Sometimes we just tell people that she's a White Walker to amuse ourselves (Game of Thrones reference, in case you're wondering).

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

Luna should be the HZ mascot because she is a fighter with an unshakeable positive spirit. She had a tough start—she was found in a empty parking lot in Tennessee as a puppy with her two brothers. She now has a loving forever home where she spends her days playing with friends at the dog park, chewing bones, and napping in the sun.

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

One thing you don't know about Luna is that she is quite the heartbreaker. She has a boyfriend at doggy daycare, Bruno the bloodhound, plus her main squeeze, Chase, at the dog park (they love to play bitey face, he calls her his big woman since she's 2x his size), and the one that got away—Finn, my brother's hunky chocolate lab who lives in Pittsburgh. She is basically the Marilyn Monroe of dogs.

Carmelo—Belongs to Zach

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

Carmelo didn't get the SEO genes. His keyword research is all over the place, or mostly about cheese.

Griffin—Belongs to Lin

Golden Retriever

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

Griffin has all of the qualities of a great HZer. He's devoted, curious about the world around him, a team player, extremely social, has a hunger (OK it’s for treats not necessarily knowledge but ...actually that might apply to some HZers?). AND creative - he does origami with discarded napkins and can tie a cherry stem in a knot - well I've actually never seen him do it but he uses his tongue to weasel a treat out of the tiniest spaces so I'm just assuming a cherry stem would be no problem.

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

He was bitten by a rattlesnake when he was young and lived to tell about it.

Gizmo, the Cockapoo—Belongs to Mariam

Cocker Spaniel mixed with miniature Poodle

Why do you think your pet should be the HZ mascot?

He's the friendliest little teddy bear and takes fabulous photos :)

What is one thing we don’t know about your pet?

One thing we don't know about your pet - he's an anxiety reliever! His breed is often used as therapy dogs and I've had people who've interacted with him at work say that he helps relieve work related stress - among other kinds :)